Page 60 of The Royal Throne
At the entrance to one of the narrow corridors jutting off from the main cavern, Drew ordered her guards to remain there. Then he led her down the corridor, past dozens of closed doors.
“What’s in these rooms?” she asked.
“Some are offices, others contain supplies. The kennels are down there.” He pointed to a hallway that went to the left. After another thirty feet, he stopped before a door and knocked. When no one answered, he pushed it open. “Wait here.” He went inside and lit an oil lamp. “Please come in, Your Majesty.”
Sabine stepped inside the small office, closing the door behind her. There was a single desk and not much else, so she remained standing.
“If this is about the murders, I haven’t learned any additional details,” Drew said.
“It’s not.” Sabine pursed her lips, trying to think of the best way to approach this. “I’m going to be blunt, and I want you to be honest with me.”
“Okay.”
“I want you to officially arrest Princess Lottie so she can be tried before the nobles.”
He whistled and sat on the edge of the desk. “What do you want her formally arraigned on? Treason?”
“Yes. If the king won’t hold her accountable, I will.”
“Why are you discussing this with me instead of just giving me a direct order?” he asked.
“I would hate to ask you to do something you don’t agree with or that might cause harm to you or your family. If this is something you don’t want to do, please tell me, and I’ll go to Captain Lithane.”
He rubbed along his jawline. “Do you fully understand what this means?”
“I do. Once Princess Lottie is found guilty, her family by blood will be executed alongside her.”
“That includes the king of Lynk.”
“Yes, it does.” Until this moment, she hadn’t realized how much Drew’s opinion meant to her. If he didn’t agree with her, then most of the people in Lynk wouldn’t either. She held her breath, waiting for his response.
He nodded, his focus on the floor and not on her. “I think it’s the right thing to do, and I’m on board with arresting Lottie. However, I just want to make sure you understand that this will cause an uproar in the palace.” His gaze finally met hers.
“I took an oath to uphold Lynk’s laws. What kind of queen would I be if royalty are not held to the same standards as our subjects?”
He stood and went around the desk, opening one of its drawers and pulling out several daggers, which he set on top. “These are poison-tipped daggers.” He withdrew several sheathes, sliding a dagger into each one.
A chill passed over her body. “Poison?”
“Yes. A nick will cause the person to sleep for at least an hour. It comes in handy when dealing with situations such as this one.” He took three of the sheathed daggers, sliding one up each sleeve and tucking one into his boot. Then he handed the last one to Sabine. “Keep this on you at all times. Just in case.”
“Thank you.” She took it, not sure where to put it on her body with such limited fabric. “Do you have family nearby?” While he’d said she was doing the right thing, he hadn’t addressed any sort of retaliation issues.
“No. My parents live far from here, and I’m not married.” His face reddened.
Over the past couple of days, Sabine had wondered if there might be something brewing between Drew and Harper. While she wanted to ask him, it was neither the time nor place. Maybe she’d ask Harper when the opportunity presented itself.
“How do we proceed from here?” she asked.
“I’ll escort you back to the palace. Erikin will take over as the head of your royal guard. I will speak with Captain Lithane since he is in charge of palace security, and the two of us will make the arrest together. From there, things will happen very quickly.”
The one issue that had been bothering her about this entire ordeal was Anton and Axel. She had no idea if the blood law included them or not since they were only Lottie’s half-siblings.“What about the twins?”
His eyes met hers. “They’ll face the same fate as the king.” His voice sounded grim. “Do you still wish to proceed?”
“Laws are laws, and as the queen, I need to enforce them.” The thought of sending both Anton and Axel to their deaths was a stab to her heart. Neither deserved to die. However, she’d already decided ahead of time that if their deaths saved hundreds or even thousands of lives, it was worth it.
Drew came closer and placed his hand on her shoulder. “I know you outrank me, but I have a few years on you, so I’d like to offer you some advice if you want it?”
